In No God's Shadow
by Abbanation
Summary: Who told you that death meant freedom? The gods are relentless. *Contains spoilers for The Burning Maze*


**Tell me what you think. I like the idea behind this, and I rarely find the motivation to write. I personally don't think Fan fiction's format is any good, but it lets me post so why not?**

Jason nervously thumbed the scar on his lip as he bounced his knee rapidly. He was leaned forward, and he could smell the hot chocolate in his cup on the table. He was thinking, deliberating on what to do next. The silence in the cafe in morning left the man sitting across the table uncomfortable, since he was supposedly there to offer advice to Jason. Jason's guest took a deep breath and sighed.

"I don't know what else to tell you, Jason. Demigods simply don't get dreams." Odysseus explained, "Only humans could get them, but there's no sleeping in the Fields of Asphodel. Once we heroes get to Elysium, we don't dream any more. The Gods supplied them, and now that the Fates have cut your thread and placed you into Elysium, the gods can't mess with you any more." Odysseus explained.

Jason thought that since Odysseus was one of the more intelligent heroes in Elysium, he might know the answer to your question. He was favored by Athena for a reason, after all.

Jason took a long sip of hot chocolate from his bronze mug, finishing the entire cup with just one big gulp. "But I'm dead." Jason pointed out. "Yes, I'm definitely dead."

Odysseus stood suddenly and said, "I'm happy I could help. I really must be going now." And made his way to the exit. As soon as he had left the building, a harpy appeared at Jason's table and squawked at you, then took both of the cups on the table.

Jason stood and thanked the harpy. He reached for his glasses on the table, but remembered that he didn't have or need them any more. Sighing, he meandered from his spot at the Elysium Cafe and pulled open the door. He knew who he wanted to speak to next. Luke Castellan almost never turned down a duel. Jason approached and saw that Luke was trading blows with Meleager, a hunter from among the Argonauts. Luke was aggressive, and strong, swinging his gladius with powerful, calculated blows. Meleager still had the upper hand though, because he was patient and learned what Luke's fighting style consisted of. Meleager, wielding a spear, ducked under a backhanded swing at his head. Just as he was about to counter with a jab at Luke's flank, Luke brought his foot up into Meleager's spearhead, throwing his weapon high into the sky. Luke used the moment of hesitation to strike true into Meleager's chest.

Meleager sighed in defeat. When Luke removed the sword from Meleager's torso, there was no wound or blood.

"_He's a natural," _Jason thought.

"You're a natural, Luke." Meleager complimented him. What a coincidence.

"Not at all, I'm still learning. You hesitated there on purpose, didn't you? When I kicked your spear up, anybody would have jumped back to recover their wits, but you stood still. You took it easy on me." Luke called him out.

"I just thought you deserved that win. It was an ingenious move." Meleager admitted, "Plus, it's not like it has much consequence." He had a point. People in Elysium can't get injured or feel pain unless they want to.

"Hey, Luke. Can I talk to you for a minute?" Jason called out to the man.

"Sure, man, what's up?" Luke jogged over to stand next to Jason.

"I've been having a recurring dream."

Luke's eyes instantly darkened. "You better be joking. Dreams never bring anything good."

Luke's experiences with the gods were dismal, and the dreams he experienced as a demigod were always right before losing a friend or being sent on a perilous journey.

"I'm not messing with you. It's been happening for three nights in a row now." Jason explained. "I can't see anything. I can move around, but it's like I'm floating in space. And a deep voice… a powerful, but…. Raspy voice says, 'It's about time you seek me. I will tolerate your stagnation no longer. Come forth and receive my blessing.' And the voice seems to come from everywhere, not from a body. And then it's over."

Luke stared at him. An uncomfortable moment passed before Luke started to look mad again. "That sounds damn close to another quest."

"Yeah, but I'm dead. I can't even cross the river between us and the rest of Hell." Jason said. "Odysseus told me-" Jason cracked a smile at the thought that holding a conversation with Odysseus was a casual occurrence, "-that the gods can't mess with demigod souls in Elysium since the fates have granted us freedom."

Luke thought for a moment before surmising, "Then I guess the Fates haven't cut your string. You're a dead man in Elysium receiving visions from the immortals, so that's the only remaining conclusion." Luke said. "...Right?"

Jason wasn't convinced. He needed to discuss this more. "How can I be dead if the Fates haven't cut my thread? How was I ferried across the river Styx? How was I judged at the entrance to hell? It doesn't hold up."

Luke didn't miss a beat before saying, "That must mean that death isn't the end of your destiny."

"So, what, I just gotta wait here until some benevolent immortal… revives me? How does that work? Will Pluto release my soul…? Or something?"

Luke gave a look that said _None of my business, man. _But instead said, "I don't know, probably. All I know for sure is I wouldn't want to be you right now. Another quest is the last thing I need. But be careful. A lot of heroes here would kill, if they could, to be in your shoes."

"I will. I wouldn't want to be on the bad side of hundreds of legendary heroes." Jason confirmed. He shook Luke's hand, smiled and walked away. He had a lot to think about.

Jason spent the rest of his day meandering around the beach, hills, and plains, contemplating life (or death) in solemn silence. He didn't have a clear idea of where he was going, and before he knew it, the ambient light in Elysium was dimming to signify night. Jason looked around and found that he was lost. Standing here, in the middle of the widest plains you could imagine, nothing but grass and dirt and hills as far as the eye could see.

Jason thought out loud, saying, "Well, no point trying to get back now." Jason figured he should just lay down in the field and sleep there. There was nothing to threaten his life, and he was comfortable sleeping in the grass. There was, somehow, a sea breeze drifting through and Jason could smell the ocean as he lay down on the small hill. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, thinking something along the lines of, "This is the life."

Did you pick up on the irony?

Jason barely had a moment to enjoy his comfort before he fell asleep, to dream once again.

The darkness wasn't exactly terrifying as much as it was cold. It felt like the kind of darkness you would feel in the early morning on a camping trip. You're uncomfortable, quiet. The biggest difference, however, was the distinct lack of noises like crickets or cicadas. And the stars, there were no stars. But then again, there weren't stars or a moon in the underworld, anyway. But that wasn't so bad, because countless heroes contributed to making a sort of observatory in the main city area that was admittedly more beautiful than Earth's own night sky.

Jason was pulled away from his musings by the same mysterious voice he'd heard thrice before.

"**It's about time you seek me." **The man sounded like a king who demanded his servants' respect instead of trying to earn it. "**I will tolerate your stagnation no longer. Come forth and receive my blessing."**

Jason was no longer content with just experiencing the dream. He needed to _do _something. He tried to speak, to ask the voice his name. But when he opened his mouth, he found that it miraculously shut itself almost instantly. Jason raised his arms and called on his power over wind to try and fly himself into some kind of surface, hoping he could at least orient himself. But, as soon as his power activated, the scene changed.

Jason stood again in the middle of a field. For a moment, he thought that he'd woken up, but corrected himself when he saw a tree. There was a woman standing next to the tree. No, not a woman. A girl. She looked to be around 16 years old, or at least very similar in age to Jason. She had blonde hair, which was lined with small flowers, forming a kind of crown. Not yellowish-blonde like Jason's but more like somewhere between platinum and yellow.

Jason approached the tree and spoke, "Who are you? Is this still a dream?"

The girl chuckled, making Jason blush a little. "You really do ask the right questions, don't you? Yes, you are still asleep. As for who I am, you shall soon know, so there's no point in telling you. I'm planning on visiting you soon, so get ready. You're in for a wild ride."

As soon as the girl finished her sentence, Jason could feel the dream coming to a close. Grasped by desperation, Jason stuttered out his question again, "W-w-wait! Wh-wh-who are you? What wild ride? Is there a new prophecy?" but his questions fell on deaf ears as he awoke in the field.

He was freaking the hell out. Gasping for air, he started to sweat, feeling danger and anxiety in the serene grassland at the break of dawn. At least, it would have been dawn if there was a sun. Jason shot straight up, and jumped into the air, taking off into flight like a superhero. After rising about a hundred meters, Jason could see the familiar blinking lights of the lamps lit in the old city off in the distance. He sped off in that direction as fast as he could. By the time he arrived, he could tell something was different already. At the edge of town he saw Diomedes waving to him.

Diomedes was a warrior-king from around the time of the Trojan war, and was known to go toe to toe with even Achilles, being considered Achilles's only rival in terms of skill. He was a reputable king who sparred (and won) against Ajax.

"Jason number 2!" Diomedes called out. A lot of the veterans in Elysium called him that since he was named after the original Jason of the Argonauts.

"Hey Diomedes, what's going on? Is everything alright?" Jason nervously asked.

"It's so much fun watching you fly! It's just incredible. Think of the strategic implications if you were one of my subjects back in the day. We would've been unstoppable." He mused. "Troy, Ithaca, Mycenae… everything.

"Dio...Diomedes. Do you know what's making things all weird today or not?" Jason was getting restless.

"Oh, yeah. Persephone is looking for you. She's in the town square."

"How could you not _lead_ with that? That's a very important piece of information!" Jason chided the man.

"Whatever, man. What's she gonna do if you're late? Kill you? Haha." Diomedes shot back with a smirk.

Jason scoffed and took off running towards the center of the city. By the time he had gotten to the town square, Jason's panic was dissipating. He considered the possibility that he had experienced a panic attack, but shook his head when he realized that he hadn't been trembling. Jason realized that, in his panic, he was actually excited at the idea of having an adventure and facing danger again.

He was pulled from his introspection when he noticed a large crowd in the entrance to the observatory. Everybody was trying to peek into the entrance, but nobody entered the building. Jason pushed through the crowd with little effort as the heroes made way for him. Standing inside the entrance was undoubtedly Persephone. She had a flower tucked behind her ear, reminding him of the girl from his dream.

Persephone turned to look at Jason and flickered. "Hello, Jason. It's nice to finally meet you." Persephone was having trouble keeping in her greek form when there was a roman standing next to her.

"What should I call you? Persephone or Proserpina?" Jason tried to sound as respectful as he could.

Persephone just frowned, saying "You're late. Let's go look at the stars." She led Jason into the adjacent room and looked up at the dome ceiling. "Hades doesn't let me come to Elysium very often. He doesn't like the looks these muscle men give me. He says that my beauty is too great for my own good, and the men might fall in love with me and steal me away. This time I had a good reason, though. Do you know what it is?"

Jason turned his gaze from Persephone to the ceiling and said, "A new Prophecy? Some grand adventure to save the world or something?"

"That's close. We chose you, Jason, because you're the only demigon in Elysium who hasn't fulfilled his fate. You've been having dreams, right?" Jason nodded solemnly. "I know who's giving them to you."

"Who?" Jason cut in. Persephone gave him a sharp look from the corner of her eye, and continued.

"My daughter, Melinoe, is the goddess of nightmares and madness. She has a powerful ability to trap demigods in dreams, the type which limits your speech and movement. Has she been saying things to you?"

"I've not heard a woman's voice in my dreams. It sounds like a man. I'm floating in endless darkness, and his ambient voice says, 'It's about time you seek me. I will tolerate your stagnation no longer. Come forth and receive my blessing.' I can't talk, and there's no ground.

"That isn't Melinoe's style. But I have no doubt that she is the one connecting you to the deity with whom you speak. I have felt her distinct power rising in Hell. She has lived here for a long time, but never has she surfaced like this."

There was a moment of silence where the two of them just stared at the stars shining on the dome.

"Zoe's constellation isn't here." Jason finally spoke. "Percy told me about Zoe Nightshade, who died in the second Titanomachy by Atlas's hand. Artemis flung her into the skies and the dome hasn't been updated. I can't remember the constellation exactly, so I haven't told anyone. It has been five years since her death."

"I've seen it." A new voice appeared in the doorway. It was the same girl as from Jason's dream last night, the blonde girl next to the tree. Except this time, she wasn't a child. She was certainly a mature woman.

Two more figures appeared following the woman.

The woman spoke, saying, "I am Demeter. You may call me Ceres, if it please you. The man on my left is Had-

"I need no introduction. I am the God of Hell and all its inhabitants. I am Hades." He proclaimed with a certain self-importance that left Jason a little uneasy. Hades smelled undeniably of mint. Strongly. "I will allow you to call me Pluto."

Jason shot back saying, "Got any mints for me, Sir Uncle, Sir?"

"In fact, I do. You may have one." The corners of the man's mouth turned upward as Jason thanked him.

Demeter began again, saying, "The tall one in the robes behind me is Triptolemus. He was the first one to undergo the trials which you will soon face. He is the only source of information which may help you, so treat him well."

Triptolemus wore a green and purple robe with tasteful golden lining separating the colors. He was not muscular, per se, but he did seem to be in good shape. He was much taller than Jason and had brown hair like Persephone's, although he didn't tuck a flower in his hair. He seemed to be the type who would hold himself in higher regard than you but still _treat _you like an equal.

Triptolemus regarded Jason with a short, quick bow, and introduced himself, "I am Triptolemus, god of agriculture. But before we go any farther, we should find someplace suitable for the procedure. I'll explain everything once we're there."

"Procedure?" Jason started, but was quickly interrupted when Hades snapped and the scene suddenly changed as all of them teleported to a woodland area. Jason wasn't sure if they were even still in Elysium.

As Jason's eyes adjusted to the sudden morning brightness, he found that the five of them stood in a clearing almost ten meters wide. There was a fire pit in the center of the clearing- a pile of ash at the moment- a few inches from his feet. A few feet to either side of him were large terracotta pots. Jason couldn't see what was inside them, but he knew that he wouldn't like to find out either.

Triptolemus spoke, breaking the short silence. "Jason, I need to tell you everything I can while you're still dead. Because once you're alive again, the ancient laws will limit how much help we can give you."

Jason nodded in understanding.

"I was born a mortal prince in a greek city called Eleusis to King Celeus. When I was a man, I was inducted as a priest into Demeter's cult. The cult devoted themselves entirely to Demeter, including myself. When Demeter was in a time of great need, we held a trial to determine who would complete the quest. I ended up winning and completed the ensuing quest. At the end of this trial and subsequent quest, I was granted life everlasting."

Jason asked, "What did Demeter need from you?"

Triptolemus inhaled deeply, "The people of Greece had not yet mastered agronomy, and it was my quest to bring this knowledge to every person in need. It sounds unimpressive, but there were a lot of dangerous individuals who wanted this knowledge for themselves in order to secure power over their subjects. After I completed my quest in educating the population of Greece, I rose to godhood."

"Am I going to have to complete the same trial? And what is my quest?" Jason was on the edge of his metaphorical seat.

"Yes, you will undergo the trial as well. Originally, the trial involved taking a chest and a basket from Eleusis to Athens, specifically to the Acropolis's Eleusinion. Unfortunately, we are not in Eleusis. _Fortunately_, though, Eleusis and Elysium share a connection. It's complicated, so I'll just say that they were once the same place. Therefore, we can forego traveling to Eleusis. Your first destination will be the Telesterion. Currently, it resides in Tartarus. You will know what to do when you find it."

"I… Understand." Jason was struck by a sudden pang of fear when he heard the word Tartarus.

Demeter spoke this time, "Now, you know what your task is, correct?"

"May I take a moment to think?" Jason asked. Everything seemed to be moving very quickly, and he needed a second to gather his thoughts.

Hades got upset at the idea that he would have to wait on a mere demigod for something, so he decided to examine his nails in the most pretentious manner possible.

_Basically, these gods are going to bring me back to life, give me a box and a basket, and shove me into Tartarus? What will I eat? Where is the Telesterion? Why does Demeter need me to go on a Quest? And for the love of Hades, is there a prophecy?_

"Lady Ceres?" Jason called.

"Yes?"

"I accept, but I need to know a few things before I go."

"Ask me anything, I have nothing to hide." Demeter responded.

"How will I find the Telesterion?" Jason inquired.

Hades stepped forward and held out his hand. In it materialized a sheet of paper folded twice. Jason accepted the paper curiously and opened it. Jason saw a small X in the center of the paper. There were small nodes at the top center of the page, bottom center, left center, and right center.

Hades explained, "The X is where you are. Those nodes on the sides are the Cardinal Directions. When you get to Tartarus, open the paper and say _emfanizo. _When you do, the paper will burn a small hole wherever the Telesterion is in relation to you. Like a map that only shows you the Telesterion. The incantation will only work three times. After the third, the paper will turn to ash." Hades sighed. "Next question."

"What is the quest you need me to complete after the trial?"

Persephone spoke up this time.

"Enesidaon. I have reason to believe he is stirring somewhere in the world. I have no doubt he has accomplices and your quest will be to bring him down, and take care of his subordinates."

Jason was curious, so he asked, "I haven't ever heard of Enesidaon. Who is he?"

Persephone exchanged a worried glance with Demeter. "Enesidaon is an aspect of Poseidon. When a cult that worshipped Poseidon gathered a following, it created a persona of Poseidon. This phenomenon is similar to when Rome took over and created his Roman aspect. Enesidaon was hateful, impulsive, and most of all, he relished in havoc. However, Poseidon hated this aspect so much that he expelled it from his body. Enesidaon took refuge in the body of a demigod and granted it immortality. All you have to do is kill that body and he will dissipate like a ripple in a stormy ocean. You would have learned this at the Telesterion, too."

Jason contemplated this for a moment. If he wanted to see his friends again, he would have to wait until they died their own heroic deaths (NOT preferable). Alternatively, Jason could accept the mission, help the gods, return to Earth, and live the rest of his life (presumably).

It was at this moment that Jason SHOULD have thought about the fact that if he completed this quest, he would be granted immortality. Unfortunately, this was something Jason forgot while all this information was crammed down his throat for the last ten minutes. Remember this, because it may be important later in the story.

"Okay." Jason finally spoke up. "I'll do it." he said and spat out his gum.

Hades scoffed and said, "Like there was any other acceptable answer."

**He's in for some intense shit.**


End file.
